Bushfire Safety

Get ahead of Bushfire Season

Bushfires can have devastating effects on property and significantly impact the electricity network. Poles, powerlines and other infrastructure can be damaged, causing your power supply to be interrupted.

Our “Bushfire Safety Kit – Bushfires and electricity” is a handy resource to help you plan, prepare, act and survive – particularly when it comes to being aware of the hazards and risks of managing bushfires near electricity, and steps you can put in place to plan ahead.

Be prepared

We regularly inspect powerlines to maintain fire safety clearances and power supply reliability as part of our comprehensive vegetation management program. While tree trimming and pruning are a significant part of our maintenance program, they are only a short-term solution.

Minimise bushfire risks on your property:

Identify potentially hazardous vegetation around your home and farm and remove debris. Do not attempt to prune trees in or near any powerlines. Call us on 132391 or report vegetation near powerlines by completing our online form
Avoid planting trees near or under powerlines - there must be sufficient clearance to enable plants to grow to their full potential without becoming a safety risk
Keep an eye on fire danger ratings on the Rural Fire Service website. Know where your Neighbourhood Safer Place is and download the Hazards Near Me app.
Prepare an emergency plan and an emergency kit. Visit the SES website for more information and tools for creating your emergency plan
We recommend property owners also complete a Bushfire Survival Plan and Farm FireWise Checklist and Action Plan to reduce their bushfire risk. These documents are available on the NSW Rural Fire Service’s website. Your Plan should include consideration of what to do if you have no power supply to your property.

Be prepared if power is lost:

Ensure you know how to bypass or manually operate electric gates, electric locks and garage doors. Turn off the power and practice when the weather is cool
Plan how you’ll receive and send communications with others if there’s no electricity, including no internet
Have enough drinking water available for all household members for 24 hours. Power may remain on at your location, but electricity supply to municipal water supply pumps may be impacted
Keep a battery powered AM/FM radio with fresh batteries for news and emergency broadcasts
Ensure petrol or diesel water pumps have been tested and reticulation is serviceable. Test the operation of pumps and water reticulation before you need them
Have a torch with fresh batteries readily available
Consider a portable petrol or diesel generator for critical loads such as refrigeration and medical devices you may be dependent on. If the generator is wired into the house wiring, ensure that this work is done by a licensed electrician - unlicensed electrical work poses a risk to your safety and our workers.

High bushfire risk days

In the lead up to and on high bushfire risk days:

Regularly monitor the fire danger ratings on the Rural Fire Service website and the Hazards Near Me app
Familiarise yourself with your Bushfire Survival Plan and make sure you know who you are responsible for on your property
Recharge your phones and laptops to help you stay connected with radio alerts, family and friends and back-up computers and phones to keep data safe
Put in place your alternative power sources for operating water pumps, electronic garage doors, and cooking
Locate your torch and battery powered radio and place in an easily accessible place in the event of a power outage
Be prepared to leave the premises in a hurry or if you lose power.

During a bushfire and after a bushfire

Be aware and stay clear of hazard trees or wooden power poles which have the capacity to fall
Smoke can act as a conductor – fires burning on or near powerline easements can increase the chances of a flashover occurring. Avoid the ash or smoke of any burnt or burning power poles, as the affected sections may contain hazardous substances
If fire is near powerlines, keep people, vehicles and attachments at least 25m away from the powerline
Powerlines can sag lower in times of high demand, high temperature and fires which can reduce ground clearances
Damaged or fallen powerlines can be hard to spot. Indicators of potential damage may include:
- flickering or no power supply
- burnt areas in paddocks or roadsides
- injured or downed stock
- smoke or fallen trees
- sagging powerlines.
Keep yourself and bystanders safe. Always stay at least 8 metres from fallen or damaged powerlines and anything in contact with them like tree branches or fences, and report the issue immediately to us on 132080
Where a property has been damaged by fire the electrical installation should be inspected by a qualified electrician and repairs carried out before contacting Essential Energy to have the power restored. Do not plug in or use any appliances that have been fire affected until they have been checked
Call Essential Energy on 132080 before turning the power on if the structure has been inundated by fire.

Emergency escape procedure

If you are in a vehicle or machinery which comes into contact with the overhead powerlines or the underground electricity network, always assume the electricity is ‘live’ and STAY. CALL. WAIT.

STAY in your vehicle
CALL 000 immediately
WAIT for emergency services to arrive and you’re given the all-clear by Essential Energy.

Evacuating a vehicle in an emergency

If escape is absolutely necessary (due to fire) jump well clear to avoid contact with the vehicle and the ground at the same time
When you jump, land with your feet together then shuffle or jump until you are at least 8 metres clear of the vehicle, powerlines or anything else they may be touching
Do not touch the vehicle, fall or allow your feet to step apart
Do not return to the vehicle for any reason
Call us immediately on 132080.

Remember to never approach a vehicle to assist in an evacuation and always treat powerlines as if they are ‘live’.